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Shipbuilding, nuclear weapons, long-range fires and newer aircraft will be the focus of the Defense Department’s fiscal 2022 budget request, according to a report by Breaking Defense.
The news outlet cites a memo by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks that explained the department will focus on “a very small number of issues with direct impact on FY 2022 and of critical importance to the President and the Secretary” amid a limited timeframe before the budget is due.
Hicks asked the Office of the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation to review several acquisition efforts.
They include the F-35 fighter, KC-46 refueling tanker and MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft, as well as future investments related to climate change, lower-yield nuclear weapons and artillery modernization efforts.
Many expect defense budgets to remain flat at best in the coming years of the Biden administration and reinforce themes Hicks and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin outlined in their confirmation hearings.
Both have said they will re-assess the Pentagon’s shipbuilding plans and bolster efforts to deter aggression in the Pacific. They also signaled support for nuclear modernization and plans to accelerate efforts to develop longer-range weapons.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said there will have to be tradeoffs in the upcoming budget, with a need to prioritize certain modernization plans.
“The top line number might not be the best guide of how we’re getting value for money, and that’s what we’re gonna try to look for,” he said. “What are the systems that provide real advantages going forward, and what programs and policies to make us stronger as a nation.”
